Hot Cross Tea Bread. Hot Music From Fairchild.

With Good Friday coming up next week, you might be looking for a good recipe for Hot Cross Buns. Last year I posted a delicious recipe for lightly spiced buns. There is also citrusy, spicier version here.

Today’s recipe packs all of the familiar Hot Cross Bun flavors into a tea loaf. It’s a nice change.

Hot Cross Tea Bread

Ingredients:

200ml milk
1 teaspoon caster sugar
7g/2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
400g/ 3 1/8 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
50g/1/4 cup light muscovado sugar
175g/3/4 cup mixed dried fruit
50g unsalted butter, melted, cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons caster sugar

Directions:

1. Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until lukewarm.

2. Combine the caster sugar, yeast and 100g (about 3/4 cup) flour with the warm milk in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 25 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface.

3. In a large bowl, sift together the cinnamon, nutmeg, remaining flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in the muscovado sugar and dried fruit, then add the yeast mixture, cooled melted butter and egg. Bring mixture together with your hands, gently kneading for 2-3 minutes until combined.

4. Transfer dough to an electric mixer with a dough hook attached, or knead by hand on a floured work surface, for 5-6 minutes or until dough is smooth. Shape the dough into a round and place on a baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 200°C/400℉.

6. For the cross decoration, combine the 2 tablespoons of plain flour with 2 tablespoons of cold water in a bowl, mixing to form a smooth paste. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle (or place mixture in a resealable bag with a snipped off corner) and pipe a cross on top of the bun.

7. Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and cooked through. Cool on a wire rack.

8. Meanwhile, to make a glaze, place the 2 tablespoons caster sugar in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons water and simmer for 1 minute or until the sugar dissolves. Brush the glaze over the loaf, then serve warm with butter.

Recipe from Delicious Magazine